Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1887-07-27
THE DERVISH'S FLIGHT.


The day was a sacred one at Con-
stantincple. 1t was the festival of the
Hegira and every available mosque was
crowded with the PROSTATE forms Of the
faithful.
A terrific storm ragged over the city.
At each lightning flash the thunder roll
ed through the vault of heaven as if to
announce the Day of Doom. The rain
poured down in torrents and the wind
swept in violent, ftful gusts beneath
the porches and into the very aisles of
the holy places where the worshippcrs
were assembled.
While the tempest was at its height a
man of tall, commanding stature, with
q long white beard which reached down
below his girdle, might have been seen
making the best of his way through the
narrow streets that extend towards the
outskirts of Galata, as if intent on reach
ing some unknown, invisible goal. This
weird individual, whose age it would
have been difficult to decipher on his
haggard and wrinkled countenance,
was evidently sinking with fatigue.
Alone an iron will or perchance some ex-
traordinary mission could have upheld
him in his toilsome journeying. for at
each step he sank into the mud of the
streets of old STEAMBOAT and the blood
from his swollen feet stained the thick,
heavy sandals which the wayfarer wore.
He stopped occasionally to cast a
look of deep anguish towards heaven
and murnured in his misery,
20 God. when wilt thou give me
rest?''
But the blast alone made answer to
his prayer and mysterious voice from
the thunder-clouds overhead seemed to
mutter: "On! on! on!' while the light
ming flash, like threatening finger,
pointed to the maze of streets in town,
or, beyond these, to the dismal horizon.
This man, so wretched and sorely
tried, was Ahasverus the Jew, who, in
years long since dead, had struck our
Lord Christ, driving him with con-
tumely from the door when. faint with
sorrow and suffering and exhausted by
the weight of the cross, the latter be-
sought the cowardly rufian TO let him
rest for a moment on the step of his
house at Jerusalem. From that day
forward, cursed by God and man,
Ahasverus, whose doom it is still to
walk the earth under the burden of a
life that will not end and must know
no rest, sailed forth from his home,
and, leaving his wife and children, has
wandered aimlessly from land to land
for nigh two thousand years. -
Suddenly, the storm grew to a tre-.
mendous hurricane such as Moslems
had never seen even at Constantinople,
where the winds blow from every point
of the Bosphorus, and hail fell in such
masses as almost to turn day into night.
The large icy Jumps fell so thick and
fast on the bare head of the wanderer
that, having reached the outskirts of
Kassim, he sought refuge in the newly
erected mosque of the Sultana Valide,
called Yeni-Djama, with its lovely min
arets and columns brought from the
ruins of ancient Troy. ~.2s@
Entering the front hall where good
Moslems cast off their shoes, Ahasvelus
left his dirty blood-stained sandals
among as rare collection Of variegated
footgear as it had ever been his cob
bler's privilege to come across at Jeru-
salem. It was no mere sentiment Of
curiosity that impelled the dauntless
Hebrew thus to penetrate within tho
sanctuary, His sole object was TO rest
his burning brow against one Of ,ths
marble pillars from Troy: Soon % he
found himself within the tcmple, his
dull eye grew dizzy at the sight Of fash q
ing lamps, and q sense Of awe came Over
him as he viewed the closing scene q
the great Mohammedan ceremony,
through the cloud Of incense which
srose from golden censers, thuriblea
and tripods. He had no sooner lower lt
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